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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28829109">Mismatch</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/quantum27/pseuds/quantum27'>quantum27</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>a cup of good intentions (tron one shots) [22]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Tron (Movies), Tron - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Ambiguous/Open Ending, Bittersweet, Clawed Tronzler Extended Universe, Gen, lakdsf;j lksdaf that tag is too funny for this fic</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 12:49:04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>754</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28829109</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/quantum27/pseuds/quantum27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>He takes a moment to reflect in his journey to the shore.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>a cup of good intentions (tron one shots) [22]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1872664</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Mismatch</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">


        <li>
            Inspired by

            <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28783521">Raze</a> by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vince_ible/pseuds/Vince_ible">Vince_ible</a>.
        </li>

    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Vince_ible and I are in Clawed!Tronzler hell.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The water was freezing as he made his way to the shore. It sent unwarranted, uncontrolled shivers throughout every line of his code as sea foam gathered around his knees, as if he himself were one of the rocks of the Sea. And perhaps it would be better to be a simple rock structure than what he was. <em> Is…? </em> </p><p> </p><p>He paused as another shiver traced his body. He stared down at the dark water. There was no reflection to be found. Only pixelated sea foam. Nothing more. </p><p> </p><p>Well. That wasn’t exactly true. There was also a reflection of <em> light </em> in the water. Circuit line light to be specific. Which didn’t make sense- he was wearing his more casual suit- what he had always worn as <em> <strike>Rinzler</strike>. </em> </p><p> </p><p>...There were at least more active circuits on than there were <em> before. </em> </p><p> </p><p>…</p><p> </p><p>And then there were the amalgamations that were his hands. </p><p> </p><p>His hands. </p><p> </p><p>Oh <em> Users, </em> his <em> hands. </em> </p><p> </p><p>How he had ever been convinced that they were supposed to be… He wrinkled his nose for a moment as he studied them as if they were new again. </p><p> </p><p>Sharp as knives. Threatening. Unnatural. His fingertips at least no longer glowed red. It was the color they were supposed to be. Blue. Or at least he was hoping that was the color they were supposed to be. It was the color that <strike><em>Tron’s</em> </strike>were. </p><p> </p><p>A familiar voice rolled through his head. ‘<em> Blue, the color of the good guys!’ </em>He used to take that statement at face value. Now? After everything? Not so much. </p><p> </p><p>His thoughts drifted back to his hands. </p><p> </p><p>To his. </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Claws.  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>The Sudden Need to Get Rid of Them struck him like a bolt of lightning. He started to flex his fingers wildly, the claws’ light bouncing off the waves of the Sea. It had been literal <em> cycles </em> since he had changed his render. Cycles since he’d been<em> allowed </em> to change it. </p><p> </p><p>He wasn’t sure he was doing it right. His right hand had begun to burn; each digit twitching uncontrollably. The claws slowly began...retracting...if one could call the way the points seemed to melt into the flesh that was slowly revealing itself. </p><p> </p><p>Once upon a time, he might’ve winced. Or clenched his teeth. But pain was so second nature by now that it left his face blank. Blank except for the way the scar stretched across his face flashed and pulsed in time with the claws' disappearance. </p><p> </p><p>Time passed slowly as his hand morphed back into its proper shape. By the end it looked almost perfect. Almost except for the way his fingernails seemed to have a sheen of light blue. <em>  <strike>Like they were waiting for the next opportunity to protract. </strike> </em></p><p> </p><p>A shuddered breath escaped his chest. Changing his render- such a simple part of his render as well- should not have been that taxing, and yet. It left him exhausted enough to wobble as the waves pushed and pulled against him. He looked back down at his hands.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>He spent a long time staring at them then, eyes dancing between his two hands. His left was still stuck in it’s mangled form. Of course, it had to be his dominant hand that was trapped in that form. He could never get lucky. Things always had to be difficult. </p><p> </p><p>There was something almost telling that they were mismatched now. Just like the rest of him, at the very least. </p><p> </p><p>He forced his hands back to his sides as he looked back up to his surroundings. To the Sea. It was only up to his knees now, but the shore was still so far off. It was going to be a long walk to get there- with the waves fighting him. </p><p> </p><p>He closed his eyes for a moment, trying not to focus on the way his newly declawed hand was the one that felt unnatural now rather than the other way around. Then he took a deep breath. </p><p> </p><p>He let the sound of the Sea surround him. Each crash of a wave- the fizzing of the foam- the way that the wind sang as it blew through the air.  For a moment it seemed like he wasn’t there at all. That he and the Sea weren’t separate at all, but simple One and the Same Being. </p><p> </p><p>He opened his eyes, the spell broken. He clenched his hands in determination, each one now curling in it’s own distinct way as he started to go again.  </p><p> </p><p>First he would get to the shore. </p><p> </p><p>Whatever happened next could wait.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>accompanying art piece i did first and then wrote for</p><p>instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/CKLSX4Wlwyr/</p><p>tumblr: https://quantum27.tumblr.com/post/640629961558999040/invincibleinck-and-i-are-stuck-in</p></blockquote></div></div>
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